10 years of Hanukkah doughnuts

Last Friday, instead of jumping into my annual sufganiyot (Hanukkah doughnuts) taste-test blog post, I wrote first about some of my recent personal journey, including my transition from the depths of darkness last year to the inspiration and light I’m able to share this year.

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The light I found and embraced is better than jelly, sweeter than award-winning dough. I will ride that light until we are successful (who’s we? Read here). In the meantime… let’s eat doughnuts!

A Decade of Sufganiyot

Saba and Savta (grandparents) enjoying the second place winner in the traditional jelly category. (courtesy)

2024 marks 10 years of our sufganiyot tastings. That means if we math all the math, the Favermans have purchased and ingested upwards of 400 doughnuts as a collective effort. The family that carbs together…

This year, since we had a decade of winners behind us, and human nature dictates that one pits the best of the best against each other (think sufganiyot olympics), we revisited each year’s winner both in the jelly and the fancy categories. And much to our chagrin, there was an upset this year. Reigning champions were dethroned, and long-resented vendors came in strong. 

We’ve included financials this year because everybody is stretched so thin, given the staggering, across-the-board price hikes, that everybody has to prioritize their purchases, and sufganiyot are no exception.

Pat BaMelach (now called Meir’s Bread Shop, apparently)
14 ILS

Courtesy photo from the writer: This is the new branding; I rather miss Pat BaMelach’s — its branding was TOPS.

We make a bimonthly pilgrimage to Efrat, as our orthodontist is based there. Three kids in braces over six years means not only fixed braces payments forever, but also many, many runs to Efrat. Over the years, the Gush Etzion visits have morphed themselves into a traditional post-appointment Pat BaMelach pastry run, so it’s consistently on our list, and is the only three-time winner in the fancy category.

Alas, this year, Pat BaMelach didn’t even make the final rounds. Their online ordering system was down (during sufganiyot season! It’s like the Superbowl for them! Bad timing), and while I wouldn’t fault them exclusively for this (although it is a ding, since it forced me to interact with humans — who were indeed helpful and supportive, but what should have taken me five minutes took me 30), their dough was simply  “off” this year. 

Courtesy of the writer: Meir’s offerings in 2024

One of our favorites in years past has been Pat BaMelach’s Lemon Meringue, and while the filling was always and still is divine, and the flavor, consistency, and filling-to-dough ratio are all aces, the dough in all of their offerings this year was so chewy — think bagel, not doughnut — that they didn’t make the cut this year. After sampling their Oreo, Boston Creme (normally our favorite and available all year), cheesecake, and chocolate-filled options, we had Meir’s Bread Shop leftovers, which was unprecedented.

English Cake
Jelly 6 ILS, Fancy 12 ILS

Courtesy photo from the writer: English Cake’s 2024 offerings

A double-winner in years past, taking the prize in the jelly category twice and the fancy category once, English Cake had a mixed showing this year.

Their traditional jelly offering boasted some of the best dough we tasted all day, but the filling inside wasn’t reached until the third bite, and that’s a disqualifier. In addition, English Cake apparently tackled rising ingredient prices by ratcheting down the quality of their jelly (our cousin deemed it “hospital jelly”), so no jelly category prizes this year. 

Their blueberry traditional jelly, while sorely lacking in the dough-to-filling ratio arena, did surprise us with bona fide blueberry pie filling inside. We’re talking about the classic canned pie filling that one would normally find inside a buttery crust at a corner diner in the States, so if you love that stuff (we do), the nostalgic flavor itself is worth 6 ILS.

English Cake’s fancy options made a more significant impression. 

Photo courtesy of the writer: English Cake’s Strawberry Lie

While their Strawberry Cream was unimpressive (we identified almost no cream inside and dubbed it a “Strawberry Lie”), their Ferrero Roche and Napoleon options were absolutely excellent and equally delightful, tying for second place in the fancy category this year.

Courtesy photo from the writer: English Cake’s Ferrero Rocher

Courtesy photo from the writer: English Cake’s Napoleon

For 12 NIS, these two were the best value we found for fancy sufganiyot, but neither one could beat the overall quality of this year’s unequivocal winner.

Brooklyn Bakery
Sufganiyot 18 ILS, Long Johns 25 ILS
Prices do not include VAT, which you are charged separately

Courtesy photo from the writer, note that they’re still using the old sticker, but the address is no longer correct.

We’ve had a fraught history with Brooklyn Bakery. A fancy category champion two years running, they’ve sorely disappointed us in the last several rounds of competition. One year, we found them closed at 10 a.m. on a Hanukkah weekday, and another year, while they were open, they simply had nothing on the shelves. Rumor has it that they have changed ownership and we can confirm that they relocated over a year ago (from Mea Shearim to Geula). Whether their location is an advantage (culturally anthropological adventure! Hebrew, English and Yiddish all in one place!) or a disadvantage (push your way through a throng into a tiny, overloaded shop where the signs in the neighborhood say if you take out a smart phone it will be confiscated so you reluctantly pay in cash) is in the eye of the beholder.

This beholder, however, was annoyed that it took nearly 40 minutes to order, receive, and pay for six doughnuts. That said, it must be noted that they offer real American custard as filling. This custard stands on its own, and while they were literally the most expensive option (18 ILS plus VAT = 21 ILS per doughnut), we must be clear about the quality of that custard. It’s no joke, and the long john is the best of the bunch. The dough is absolutely acceptable although not stellar, but. That. Custard. 

Courtesy photo from the writer: Whoa. That custard.

Not a winner this year, especially given the hassle and the price, but if you’re a dedicated custard connoisseur, it’s worthwhile.

Berman’s Bakery
Jelly 7 NIS

Courtesy photo from the writer

The fact that Berman’s is in our winner’s circle at all is kind of astounding, since it’s a “pick up some pitot” sort of a place, but the proof is in the proverbial pudding/filling: they took the title for the fancy category in 2016 and placed again in 2020, tying for first place with their chocolate custard-filled rendition.

This year, we saw zero fancy options on display at Berman’s, and we had to visit twice since on our initial survey (they’re right next to the ridiculously exorbitant underground parking, so we hit them first) they had no sufganiyot in sight. On our second round, traditional jelly options were abundant (and still hot!) so that’s what we tasted, and we were pleasantly surprised that they’re not only huge in comparison to other bakeries, but also the jelly is quality jelly, not “hospital jelly.” Who woulda thunk it — Berman’s, in the face of ingredient prices skyrocketing, hangs onto their doughnut size and brings quality jelly to the table. Kol hakavod, Berman’s, you are tied for second place in the jelly category this year. Our hats are off to your consistency and commitment to quality at fair prices!

Marzipan
Jelly 5 ILS, Fancy 7 ILS 

Courtesy photo from the writer

In 2014, our very first year of sufganiyot touring, Marzipan was the champion in the traditional jelly category. Back then, the fancy contenders were fewer, and while Marzipan has struggled to compete, they simply have not kept up with the trends and have been consistently outshined by other contenders. This year is no exception.

Their traditional jelly offering this year is absolutely tiny (shrinkflation?) and while I do insist that good things come in small packages (I’m 5′ 3″, and was never able to mentally transition to metric in regards to height… immigrant problems), this was not that. While all of their options featured tasty, airy dough, and an acceptable dough-to-filling ratio, the filling itself was an embarrassment. The jelly tasted thin and cheap, and the “chocolate cream filling” was definitely an off-brand HaShachar-type sandwich spread bought in bulk and repurposed.

Marzipan was a no go this year.
Duvshanit
Jelly 8 ILS

Courtesy photo from the writer

A two-time champion (2018 and 2022) in the traditional jelly category, Duvshanit is an unpretentious Jerusalem-based institution offering a warmly Israeli basta kind of vibe. (A basta is Arabic for “food stall”;  it’s usually situated in a traditional open air market, and it has turned into Hebrew slang). 

While Duvshanit does not have a website, my research tells me that they deliver via Wolt, so that’s a huge bonus for locals. After a friendly chat with the proprietor, we tasted a reasonably sized delight: light and airy yet not too chewy, fresh and handed to me with a “Kchi, Mami” (“Take, sweetie”) by an affable middle-aged guy sporting a Mr. T-inspired gold chain. 

Courtesy photo from the writer; yes, I asked his permission to share it!

Duvshanit’s offering was not only enveloped in and enhanced by a classic Middle-Eastern purchasing experience, but it was also of hit-jelly-in-the-first-bite quality and featured the best jelly we had imbibed all day up until this point. While Berman’s dough was one notch better, Duvshanit’s jelly far outshined it, so these two are tied for second place in the traditional jelly category. For the price, you absolutely can’t beat it, but overall, it wasn’t the absolute, all-around best contender this year. Second place it is, Duvshanit, but we love your attitude and your service!

Haba
7 ILS

Although “obtuse” is not a word one would often use to describe a bakery, I fell in love with the word when I first heard it in Shawshank Redemption, when Andy accuses the warden, and since then, I use it at every appropriate opportunity. Haba has multiple locations, usually based in and around the shuk, but they move often, never sport signage of any kind, and garner amusement out of denying their existence. (We searched for them one year, and realized after about an hour that we were asking the Haba guys where Haba was, and they were simply amusing themselves by sending us in circles.)

Winners in the traditional jelly category both in 2020 (yeah, go try and find a semi-hidden bakery when everyone is wearing COVID masks, but we did it), as well as last year, first we tried the Haba location on Agrippas, but they only sold shawarma and shot us an indignant look when we asked after sufganiyot. Luckily, one of our crew commutes through the shuk daily and knew where the second location was, only identifiable by the teudah hanging in a cracked frame on the wall behind the counter, and staffed by a bored smoker who barely spoke and only accepted cash.

Courtesy photo from the writer: the only signage at Haba is a teudat kashrut

Courtesy photo from the writer: You can find Haba on the open road of the shuk, next to this street sign which is nearly unreadable.

While potentially carcinogenic — the smoking clerk — Haba’s dough was the best dough of the day, hands down. Crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, the dough itself is a masterpiece, a national treasure — and likely Israel’s best kept secret aside from the exploding pagers.

That said, their jelly this year was absolutely vile. My 14-year-old sugar-hound-of-a-son spit it out. My boys huddled together and tried to figure out what Haba possibly could have done to taint their jelly so badly, and wondered if they attempted to stretch the jelly (like I stretch the ground beef with breadcrumbs) with some kind of sour-tasting additive. Or, since we are a family who loves conspiracy theories, they concluded that perhaps this was the test round for the next Trojan-horse type terrorist attack. Either way, and obtuse or not, Haba is in the dog house this year.

Roladin
Jelly 15 ILS, Fancy 18 ILS

Courtesy photo from the writer

Courtesy photo from the writer: inside the depths of the perfection that is Roladin this year

We are a family of pragmatists, and, while we tend to pony up for fancy snacks, Roladin has cultivated a habit of blasting even the most expensive sufganiyot on the market out of the water with their steep and ever-climbing price points. We resent their pompous advertisements along with their assumption that they are the clear choice for tzfonim (Israeli slang for those from the wealthy north Tel Aviv suburbs) or anyone else who refers to themselves as a “foodie,” with their doughnut nose in the air.

We never want Roladin to win. But we are committed  to objective judgements, and they stole the show in the fancy category both in 2021 and in 2023, so they were our last stop when we already thought we had our winners.

Were we WRONG.

Courtesy photo from the writer: Lev Ari (8 years old) devouring Roladin’s Choco Candy edition

Although a 15 ILS sticker price for a traditional jelly sufganiya (and a small one at that) is ludicrous in our minds… Holy Hanukkah, Batman, it’s worthwhile. 

While the line was out the door and their computer was down (cash only!) We gritted our teeth while waiting and were rewarded by tasting jelly on the first bite. Roladin’s jelly is exquisite. It’s the kind of jelly that you find in a tiny crystal bowl on an expensive breakfast buffet that you hope the corporate office is paying for. We shouldn’t even really call it jelly, as the term is disrespectful to this sublime creation. I guess we’d better call it gelée, which is apparently all the rage, and who better to count on for being on top of trends than Roladin? 

In addition to their scrumptious traditional offering, which was instantly the clear winner of the day, we tried three of their fancy varieties, since that’s what they’re famous for. Although their Katezefet (whipped cream) filled version was lacking, their Choco Candy (chocolate-filled, topped with colorful candy which Midwesterners call jimmies but apparently also go by other names) was absolutely marvelous as they do chocolate filling properly. 

But their Cafe Royal took the trophy.

Courtesy photo from the writer: my niece devouring Roladin’s award-winning Coffee Royal

Gorgeous and decadent-looking, they describe it as a coffee chocolate chantilly doughnut with coconut praline, topped with coffee ganache. We didn’t even taste the coconut, and my hubs is a coffee snob, so everybody agreed that it was showstopping. And getting four teens (including cousins), two parents, two grandparents, and an 8-year-old to agree on anything… well, unanimous decisions don’t happen very often.

The price tag is overwhelming (although, of note, not the highest — Brooklyn Bakery took that cake) but the quality of the ingredients at Roladin has been proven. This year, you get what you pay for, if you decide to splash out.

This means that Roladin swept the 10-year-championship round with winners in both categories.. Reluctantly, as my husband’s late grandmother’s voice rings in my head (“$5 for a doughnut is highway robbery!”) and Bubbe wasn’t wrong, we have to admit that Roladin really showed up this year. Bias aside, they triumphed.

After nearly 40 sufganiyot, we present Roladin with this year’s trophy. 

TLDR
Just in case you couldn’t plow through the descriptions, here are the results with no fluff, fresh and hot:

2024 Traditional Jelly Category Winners:

First place: Roladin

Tied for second place: Duvshanit and Berman’s Bakery

2024 Fancy Category Winners:

First place: Roladin with their Cafe Royal

Second Place: English Cake with both their Napoleon and Ferrero Roche 

Looking Ahead: Not Only Oil and Sugar (Yay! Oil and Sugar!) but Also and Abundance of Light

While we Favermans (and those who birthed us, in addition to those who marry-in to our extended clan) are committed to the pursuit of quality desserts worldwide, many of us also tend to dedicate ourselves to various flavors of what Hebrew National calls serving “a higher authority” or purpose. For some of us, that higher authority is halachically rooted. For others, it’s more of a derech eretz or values-based decision, in terms of where and how to invest our time and energy.

This year, I have enough light for all of us. I’m here to bring it, share it, and shout it.

Chag Sameach!